²

£¤40

0 1 20.5

Miles

VERNALSEE DINO

TOUR 1 & 6

£¤191

£¤121

£¤191

MAESER

RED FLEET &STEINAKER LAKE

STATE PARKS

0.0

FLAMING GORGE/UINTASSCENIC BYWAY

SEE DINOTOUR 6 & 8

GOLFCOURSE

AIRP

ORT

3.0

4.1

5.4

5.7

10

1214

14.7

15.1

18.1

21.6LOOK OUT

POINT

WINDY POINTLOOK OUT

POINT

DINOSAURTRACKSWAYS

BIG BRUSH CREEKLITTLE BRUSH CREEK

when dinosaurs inhabited the area. The layer of rock may contain dinosaur fossils.

Look for the nature trail just south of the entrance to the park. The trail and associated parking lot is one of the 18 Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway sites. Trail signs interpret the wildlife of the area

Mileage0 Leaves Vernal north on US 191 from center of town.3 Looking north you can see the back side of Steinaker Dam, the first unit of the Central Utah Project.4.1 Overlook of Steinaker Lake. This reservoir is the main feature of the Vernal Unit of the Central Utah Proj-ect, a part of the Colorado River Storage Project. The res-ervoir has a storage capacity of 38,000 acre feet. Perma-nent storage of 5,000 acre feet of water is maintained for fish and wildlife. The reservoir offers good bass and trout fishing, and is a favorite place for local boating and water-skiing enthusiasts. The State Park includes a swimming beach, boat ramp, picnic and camping facilities. The Uin-tah Water Conservancy District delivers water to Ashley Valley for irrigation and municipal use.The hillside running parallel to the highway here is the Morrison Formation where dinosaur bones and gastro-liths, gizzard stones of dinosaurs, are found.5.4 Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway Site and Nature Trail interpreting the wildlife of Steinaker State Park.5.5 Entrance road to Steinaker State Park (left).10.0 Turn right to Red Fleet State Park (boat ramp).10.5 Tour turns left. The terrain here, covered with sage-brush, grasses, and juniper trees provides grazing for live-stock and is a winter range for deer and some elk.10.9 Looking left one can see the large red sandstone outcrops from which Red Fleet State Park gets its name. From higher on the mountain to the north, these red rock masses, seen in the distance below, resemble three ships, hence the name “Red Fleet.”12.0 Boat ramp, parking area, camping, picnicking facili-ties, rest rooms and water. Tour returns to highway US 191.14.0 Tour turns north (right) on US 19114.7 Big Brush Creek, the source of water from the Red Fleet Unit. (continued on back)

Day Trip 4

Visit DinosaurlandOne-Day Self-Guided Tour

Uintah County Travel & Tourism

1-800-477-5558 - www.dinoland.com

Day TripsBeginning and ending in Vernal#1 - Diamond Mountain/Jones Hole Fish Hatchery#2 - Indian Petroglyphs/Dry Fork Canyon#3 - Red Cloud Loop Scenic Backway (for higher clearance vehicles)#4 - Red Fleet & Steinaker State Parks#5 - Dinosaur National Monument#6 - Outlaw Country-Crouse Canyon, Brown’s Park, Jarvie’s Ranch#7 - Vernal Heritage Walking TourBeginning and ending in Manila#8 - Spirit Lake/Sheep Creek Canyon Scenic Backways - Flaming Gorge CountryBeginning and ending in Duchesne#9 - Indian Canyon Scenic Byway#10 - North Fork of the Duchesne River#11 - Rock Creek & Stillwater Dam

Red Fleet State ParkThe Park Name was inspired by three large Navajo sand-stone outcrops that jut up from the water as a fleet of ships. At an elevation of 5,600 feet, Red Fleet offers camp-ing, picnicking, swimming, fishing and boating. Facilities include 31 campsites, modern rest rooms, barbecue grills, covered picnic tables, a concrete boat launching ramp, sewage disposal, and fish-cleaning stations.

The campground provides a panoramic view of the Red Fleet Reservoir and surrounding areas.

Local boaters refer to the 650-acre reservoir as “Little Lake Powell.” Spectacular sandstone cliffs and secluded sandy beaches await the visitors who love water-oriented activities. You can launch your boat for a day of fishing and water-skiing or hike to an isolated beach for picnick-ing and swimming. Swimmers should use caution, how-ever, as the water may be extremely deep just off shore.

Steinaker State ParkThis park is a desert oasis in the heart of Dinosaurland. Visitors come to fish, water ski, camp, picnic, or relax on the beach.

Sandy beaches and water temperatures reaching 70 de-grees in July make the park a water recreation paradise. The concrete boat launching ramp provides access for all types of water craft.

Steinaker Reservoir is one of Utah’s prime fisheries. You will find rainbow trout, largemouth bass, and an occa-sional brown trout.

The surrounding canyon area intrigues those interested in geology, paleontology, or archaeology. From high points in the park, you can see millions of years of geologic for-mations. A bank of the Morrison Formation runs along the east shore of the reservoir. This layer of strata was de-posited 130-million years ago during the Jurassic Period

Looking left one can see Simplot Phosphates Company’s mining operation.15.1 Tour turns right to Red Fleet Dam. Other wildlife found in this area are coyote, bobcat, prairie dog, skunk, rabbit, bald eagles, golden eagles, several species of hawks, magpies, mourning doves, prairie falcon, pinion jays, and several species of small birds.18.1 Trailhead to the Dinosaur Trackways. This moder-ately difficult 2.4-mile round trip hiking trail (with an ele-vation change of approximately 200 feet) leads to the north shore of Red Fleet Reservoir where you can see the tracks of ancient dinosaurs.The tracks were laid down in soft mud 190 to 200 million years ago by three-toed, upright dinosaurs and have since turned to stone. Please do not disturb these footprints. They are protected under law, so you are welcome to ad-mire them and take photos, but please leave these amazing prints for others to enjoy and experience in their natural setting.21.4 Turn left to lookout point, 1/10 mile. Take foot trail to top of ridge for a panoramic view of the dam, lake and surrounding terrain.25.1 The tour ends here and returns to Vernal over the same route; however, upon reaching US 191 on the return trip, you can turn north (right) and take either the Flaming Gorge or Red Cloud Loop tours.

Red Fleet & Steinaker

Lake State Parks